𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀
For Stephen, science has always been about building things. Growing up detail-oriented with a love of making, he found his way to organic chemistry, and then to peptides. What drew him in was the biomimetic nature of the field - using organic chemistry to mimic the behavior of full proteins, with far more room for manipulation and design. Where proteins can be unwieldy, peptides offer an elegant flexibility that appealed to both the chemist and the builder in him.
That instinct carried through his graduate work at UNC under Ronit Freeman, where he explored self-assembling peptides and how to fold them into structures mimicking higher-order protein assembly. In his current role at ChromaGenix, he investigates how synthesis modes — batch versus in-column flow — affect yield, purity, and raw material consumption, with the goal of building a scalable, cost-efficient manufacturing method.
What excites him most is informed design around a molecule's structure and what it needs to do. Outside the lab, he brings that same hands-on sensibility to woodworking and Legos. Some people unwind by stepping away from structure, but Stephen likes to make more of it.
